The Landing, MediaCityUK, to host ‘build a bot’ workshop

Leading chat bot platform, Flow XO has announced details of a special seminar and workshop which will demystify the world of automated online customer engagement systems and empower coding novices to ‘build a bot’.

The all-day event, which is fully funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is being held on 22^{nd July} at The Landing, MediaCityUK. Flow XO, originally based in Padiham in Lancashire, recently established a satellite office at The Landing as part of a drive to grow the business regionally, nationally and internationally.

Aimed at digital agencies, SMEs and freelance developers in Greater Manchester, Flow XO’s ‘build a bot’ event will feature an initial breakfast session to introduce the concept of chat bots and give delegates the chance to quiz industry experts about the opportunities, challenges and ethical issues arising from the growing use of bot technology.

This will be followed by a more detailed look at how highly intuitive bot applications are already becoming commonplace on platforms like Facebook, Slack and Telegram; why the rapid evolution of automated dialogue means people will soon struggle to tell if they are chatting to a person or a bot programme; and a demonstration of basic chat bot coding.

Delegates will then be invited to ‘build a bot’ themselves – and over six hours will get the chance to work alongside professional programmers to conceive, design, build and launch their own, bespoke chat bot interface.

Flow XO, which was recently selected by advertising giant MEC to join its roster of innovative digital agency partners, will be also awarding the prototype with the most commercial potential a full day’s free consultancy and three months’ free hosting.

Flow XO’s Managing Director John Jackson said: “After a few false starts, bot technology is quickly starting to permeate all aspects of the digital world, especially around social platforms and apps where online chatting is a key element of customer recruitment and engagement. This two-part event aims to first explain why and how bots will very soon become part of everyday online life, and why everyone should be looking to ‘embrace the bot’ regardless of the sector they work in. We will then take delegates through the process of building a basic automated chat programme from scratch, even if they have no prior programming knowledge.

“It’s a great opportunity for any business or individual to get up to speed on where bots are going, and gain some basic skills to help them develop their own customer interface without needing any coding experience.

“We’re particularly looking forward to delivering this seminar and workshop at The Landing where we’ve recently taken some space to support our ambitious growth plans. We’re still very loyal to Lancashire, but by being based at the heart of MediaCityUK we can connect with a range of other innovative companies and benefit from being part of a thriving North West technology cluster with a global outlook.”    

The Landing ‘build a bot’ event follows a recent national consumer survey by myclever Agency which revealed that a majority of people welcomed the idea of chat bots being available around the clock and them helping to quickly resolve issues or answer questions that didn’t require human intervention. It also coincides with a recent announcement by Manchester City regarding the launch of a new club chat bot on Facebook.

For more details of the first ‘build a bot’ introductory breakfast session on July 22^nd go here. For details of the ‘build a bot’ workshop which follows it go here.